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POLICE VOWED “MAXIMUM attention” to find the killer of an American women found dead in her Florence apartment as Italy’s expat community expressed hope that the case won’t turn into another Amanda Knox-style, drawn-out, headline-grabbing legal saga.
Police yesterday opened a murder investigation after 35-year-old Ashley Olsen of Summer Haven, Florida, was found dead, her neck bruised and scratched.
Authorities questioned Olsen’s boyfriend, a local artist, but said they have no suspects so far.
“What happened in Florence is getting the maximum attention to find out what it’s all about,” Italy’s police chief, Alessandro Pansa, said during an unrelated visit Sunday to Florence, the ANSA news agency reported.
Meanwhile, friends and fellow expats expressed horror at the slaying of a woman known around Florence for her beloved beagle, Scout, and said they hoped her killer would be found quickly. Flowers were left at her doorstep.
“I can’t imagine a person who would hurt her. She is a gentle, a kind, a beautiful, friendly, lovely girl and it’s an awful shock,” said Amy, a friend who only gave her first name, told The Associated Press in Florence.
We’ve got a great community here of people and everyone loved her.
Friends and other expats expressed hope that the case wouldn’t end up repeating the flawed, flip-flopping investigation into the last high-profile murder case of a foreigner living in Italy, that of Meredith Kercher.
The British student was studying in the Umbrian city of Perugia when she was found dead in 2007.
Knox, Kercher’s American roommate, and her then-boyfriend were at first convicted of the murder, then acquitted, convicted again on appeal and finally acquitted for good last year definitively exonerated them. Another man was convicted and is serving a 16-year sentence.
“I would hope for her sake that this investigation is more clear,” said Georgette Jupe, who writes the “Girl in Florence” blog and knew Olsen casually, primarily because they both had beagles and lived near one another in Florence’s Santo Spirito neighbourhood.
Social media groups for expats in Florence expressed the same sentiment, with several people posting comments about the parallel to the Kercher investigation, which was harshly criticised in both the American and British media.
“It reignites the concern of justice, different policing and judicial systems, and the different journalism styles between Italy and the US,” Beth Prusiecki, an American living in Milan, told the AP in a message after posting on one of the closed Facebook groups.
US media tended to portray Knox as a victim of a legal system she didn’t understand, where prosecutors can appeal acquittals. The Italian media tended to take prosecutors’ view that Knox was responsible.
Jupe said Olsen was involved in fashion and had moved a few years ago to Florence, where her father was also a professor.
Olsen’s Facebook page is full of photos of her and Scout, including on the steps of the Santo Spirito church on the lovely piazza of the same name that is the heart of the “Oltrarno” neighborhood of the Tuscan city.
“She always with her dog, always sitting on steps of Santo Spirito with friends,” Jupe said in a phone interview.
Alexandra Lawrence, a 17-year resident of Florence, said the art-filled city has long drawn creative people like Olsen, who find a ready-made expat community that is far more active and close-knit than ones in Rome or Milan.
I think maybe because it’s such a small city, but because there are so many expats, we all eventually come across each other and run in similar circles.
Lawrence said she didn’t know Olsen personally, but said the first thing she thought of when she heard the news was the Knox saga.
“We’ve been through this terribly unresolved mystery with Amanda Knox,” she said in an interview. “You never want it to get to that point.”
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The film is stupid and adolescent because its meant to be stupid and adolescent. Some film critics review these movies like a man going to watch a volkswagen race a ferrari and then bitching because the volkswagen lost. Get real for Chrissakes its a dumb comedy movie and as a dumb comedy movie it works! Maybe not for the tight assed wasp critics sipping martinis in the penthouse suite of the Artsy Fartsy Hilton LA but for the regular folks who just want to have a good laugh its worth the bucks.
Now there’s a comments I want to give two green thumbs
In your opinion,maybe the critics are right,are you saying we should go to every comedy that gets a crap review just to stick it to the critics? Life’s too short to be watching shite films when there are better ones out there.
Some warped and distorted idea of patriotism will have a lot of Yanks going to see this and not being 100% sure why they’re there,except some bad guy in Korea doesn’t want them to see it. Watch the trailer and save yourself 2 hours.
See I’m a fan of many stupid movies. Hot shots, monthy python, scary movie 1-3, old Adam Sandler, blackadder etc.
As I’ve said yet to see this one but it looks funny.
It isn’t. A few good scenes, but overall, more hard work than funny.
It’s a dreadful movie, maybe it’s aimed at teenagers or drunken partygoers who may also be fans of the stars but it was never going to get an academy award or raise any eyebrows, until all this hype began.
It was just another movie taking a swipe at the North Korean dictatorship and, if we’re to believe what we’re told, that was enough for them to take a swipe back launching a bad movie into infamy. Anyone old enough to remember the attempted banning of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood song “Relax” will know that to ban something is to guarantee everyone and his mother will want to see or hear it, and that’s exactly what happened here whether by accident or design.
I am up for dumb movies but this one doesn’t do a good job at being dumb. Just average… It looks like it was done in a hurry and many days were not that inspirational at coming up with good lines…
Rolling Stone are a funny old bunch these days,U2 and Bruce Springsteen topped their own Albums of the Year as well,the standards are falling it seems,jingoistic nonsense.
Rolling Stone hasn’t been relevant for over 25 years.
So just because RS favours something u don’t makes it nonsense? Get real will u that’s a ridiculous comment ,ever occur to u that millions agree with them .
I’m aiding with seth rogan on this one, don’t blame the movie itself for the hype. We are all to blame for hype.
If you don’t like pinapple express, that doomsday movie they did etc then don’t watch it, not your thing.
Last thing you should be doing is bashing a movie because your hyped expectations weren’t met, “don’t believe the hype”.
I liked Pineapple Express but this movie is pants. Yes pants.
I’ve yet to see it but thanks for the detailed review
Watched it last night , plenty of laughs. Not going to win any Oscars but for what it is its well worth a look.
I have watched half of it and so far there have been a few laughs but nothing to write home about. The film critics take themselves and this film way too seriously. It’s the sort of film that you should really sit down to after a few drinks and have a good adolescent laugh at so as to take your mind off all the crap that weighs you down.
It was rubbish!
I have seen it and it’s rubbish pure and simple not a good movie
I want to see it now after those reviews, I could do with a few stupid belly-laughs. Nice response to verge Seth.
I never thought i’d see anything worse than love/hate then this comes along. Utter tripe
My facebook time line is covered with great reviews of the film. Must give it a go.
Downloaded it last night and watched it.
There were some funny bits but overall I thought it was dreadful and racist. Then I had a read of reviews around the net and found even South Koreans didn’t find it funny and some found it offensive so I wasn’t wrong. There’s a lot of forced humour, a lot of anal and dick jokes, sexist and racist ‘humour’ with homoerotic overtones thrown in for good measure. It’s a silly movie that didn’t deserve the hype. If you really ‘need’ to see it don’t pay to see it.
Anything with Seth rogan is going to be a big steaming pile
Of awesomeness?
Total load of crap. Few funny bits.
The whole thing is media hype. North Korea didn’t hack Sony. It may all be a publicity stunt.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/24/no-north-korea-didn-t-hack-sony.html
I’ll give it a stream. Followed closely by Team America for a leadership style comparison of father and son.
Watched it last night and thought it was excellent , lots of stoner humor d1ck\fart jokes not high brow but damn funny !! Rogen and Franco are a great double act
Saw in a he articles tha one reviewer was slagging off dick jokes. Nothing wrong with a good dock joke if you ask me.
Sony honeydicked us good
Can I be the first to mention the water charges?
It’s pretty shocking that nobody has thought to praise the movie for shining a spotlight on that wa*%ker Kim Jong Un. Too few of us are aware of the unspeakable suffering wreaked upon the ordinary people of North Korea by this cruel, merciless & murderous thug and his familial regime. For raising this awareness, I’ll happily reward Sony with a cinema-ticket purchase regardless of the quality of the movie. It’s a tiny act of solidarity with those people I am unable to help. I’ll certainly not STEAL a torrent download like some other inconsiderate idiots have suggested here.
It would be ok if it actually was funny .. But it’s not . It’s embarrassing.. Crude vulgar and very badly written and acted .. A cartoon for babies would get more laughs . Waste of time . Kim should nuke Hollywood for this rubbish being allowed out . Dick and Ass jokes all the way .. Come on .
Watched it last night. Some funny parts and was better than anything on the telly
The whole family watched it, and we all thought it was briLliant.
I for one won’t be paying to watch it. …. I’ll just download it
This is the sort of movie that teaches the movie goer to ignore film critics. The film is stupid and no one involved in the production worries about offensiveness. A familiarity with The Lord Of The Rings will help the viewer understand some of the lines and some of the gags. Katy Perry fans may be annoyed. If you can hold back your laughter, you can be offended non-stop. But you’ll miss some of the best gags.
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